The International Travel Festival gives you the opportunity to explore the best tourist spots in the country.
The Philippines has many remarkable locations for a summer vacation, but where do you start?
The country is home to dozens of provinces with rich cultures that have since brought heaves of visitors worldwide.
Local organizations understand that tourists may have a hard time deciding where to go, so they gather and present the best of Philippine tourism in one social event.
In Cebu, this is done through the International Travel Festival.
Several participants availed discounts on plane tickets and bookings at Ayala Center Cebu.
Also known as ITF, this travel festival gathers tourism establishments to offer limited time promos and discounted sales for Cebuano travel enthusiasts. The event is usually held at Ayala Center Cebu, right when Cebuanos gear up for summer in March.
Participants consist of some of the biggest names in Cebu’s hospitality industry, as well as regional offices under the Department of Tourism in the Philippines.
Provinces from outside Cebu were also part of the annual travel festival.
There are several kiosks where you can learn about the different regions in the country through their local delicacies and products. Participants can discover where to go and what to do when visiting these areas as tourism officers offer insightful itineraries.
Airlines also offer discounted prices for plane tickets, encouraging travel to other Filipino tourist destinations through a variety of direct flights.
A WALK AROUND THE PHILIPPINES
The ITF offers viewers a short walk around some of the most important places in the Philippines to teach about their rich cultures and tourism industry.
Among the top tourist destinations presented at the event were Panglao and Palawan, famous for their mesmerizing beaches.
You can also avail discounts on places to stay, which have great accessibility to several tourist attractions.
In the 2023 festival, Mindanao was represented by officials, promoting their rich natural resources and extensive culture taken from their local delicacies, souvenirs, and art forms.
The Caraga region promoted its textile production industry, with weavers making placemats, bags, and carpets through an old heirloom technique, along with their tribal clothing and local food products.
Mallgoers also got the opportunity to taste coffee made in the recently named Coffee Capital of the Philippines, Sultan Kudarat.
Soccsksargen (Region-12) is the country’s leading coffee producer, and Sultan Kudarat contributes 86% of their total coffee yield, according to a report by the Philippines Information Agency.
Thus, the province was given the title by the Regional Development Council in Region 12 (RDC-12).
Diving is another popular activity among Filipinos, and Northern Mindanao made sure to promote their region’s most famous diving spots in places like Camiguin and Misamis.
They also sold their own versions of local food products in the Philippines, like tableya, coffee grounds, and beef jerky.
CEBU AT THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FESTIVAL
The International Travel Festival showcased Cebu’s hospitality industry as well, with several popular staycation spots presented at the event.
Some of these places have offered quality services for many years, giving guests a worthwhile summer experience.
A travel expo in Cebu wouldn’t be complete without a feature on the Historic Resort City in Mactan. Lapu-Lapu City is a wanderer’s haven, with a number of cozy hotels and resorts around town and near the airport.
World-renowned establishments like Bluewater Maribago and Dusit Thani presented their bargain discounts, while The Reef showcased native furniture at their exhibit.
Other metro cities gave staycation enthusiasts a chance to book rooms at cheaper prices, without having to go to the hotel or contact them remotely.
Hotels in Cebu City and Mandaue that were present at the event include Bai Hotel, Marco Polo Plaza, Radisson Blu, Citadines, Fili, and Seda Hotel.
If you’re looking for a fun adrenaline-pumping experience in Cebu, look no further than Danasan Eco Adventure Park, a lesser-known recreational area in the north.
This Danao attraction is a couple of hours away from the city, and it provides visitors many exciting activities to take part in, like ATVs and Go Kart Racing. You may even book a room for a couple of days.
The travel festival gained support from the local government with several officials gracing the event, including Cebu City Councilor Joy Pesquera and Dondon Hontiveros, as well as DOT representative Elaine Bathan.
This annual event is highly sought after due to the many discounts and offers for a more affordable summer vacation in the Philippines. Whether or not you have a destination in mind, the International Travel Festival will definitely provide you with more than a few enticing options.
If you want to have a staycation, take note of the many hotels featured at the event. But if you want to explore other provinces outside Cebu, the kiosks will definitely suffice.
The festival gives you the opportunity to learn more about famous attractions as well as the big players in Cebu’s tourism industry. It is the perfect place to start planning an itinerary so you can start summer in the Philippines right.
